1. Field of the Invention
This invention has relation to snow melting and removal apparatus wherein snow is removed from the ground, delivered into a snow melting chamber where it is conveyed to liquid water, and the liquid water is discharged through a discharge orifice and into an appropriate receptacle.
2. Description of Related Technology
The need to remove snow from streets has existed for centuries. In crowded inner city areas, snow cannot simply be plowed away, due to a lack of suitable storage surfaces. One logical way to remove snow from streets and highways in such conditions is by converting it into liquid water, and many devices have been developed to melt snow after it is removed from a street or alley.
One of the earliest such devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,160,205, issued to Smith, which discloses a container into which snow is shoveled and then melted by applying heat to the bottom and sides of the container while spraying heated water directly onto the snow confined within the container. The Smith device includes means for tilting the container to drain the liquid water thus produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,821,292, issued to Chase, similarly uses a series of nozzles to spray heated water on snow that is deposited onto an inclined surface by a conveyor.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 1,841,245, issued to Hagen, uses a conveyor to pass snow beneath a series of nozzles spraying hot water directly onto the snow to be melted.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,388,027, issued to Connolly, uses a series of burner nozzles to apply flame directly to the side of a chute through which snow passes so as to melt the snow, with water being directed onto snow exiting the chute so as to further aid the melting process.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,602,476, issued to Ballard, discloses a snow melting apparatus in which a combustion chamber is located adjacent to a snow containing chamber, with radiant heat thereby tending to melt the snow contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,922, issued to Spinelli, utilizes a conveyor carrying snow past nozzles discharging hot water into a tank, with the added feature that a series of blades agitates the snow so as to speed the melting process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,089, issued to Hoyt, discloses a snow melting apparatus in which snow is directed across a pipe containing hot water and further directed by gravity into a tank containing hot water, thereby tending to melt the snow as it comes into contact with the heated water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,166,066, issued to Dunn et al., discloses a snow melting apparatus using hot water dispensed from nozzles such that water is sprayed directly onto the snow. Some of the nozzle heads are mounted on a tiltable pipe grid so as to more accurately direct the hot water onto the snow.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,171,405, issued to Miller, discloses a tank into which bulk snow may be received and which contains a slurry of water and snow to which heat energy is supplied for melting additional snow added to the slurry. Miller utilizes fuel for inputting substantially all of the heat energy to the slurry which is necessary to melt the bulk snow to be added to the slurry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,632, issued to Kotlar et al., discloses the use of high pressure, high velocity air supplied to an oil burner to provide a flow of combustion products and air into which snow is entrained, the snow presumably being carried to the end of the snow melting chamber 40 where the liquid water drops into an otherwise unheated water tank 60 while the combustion products in the remaining air pass out through exhaust stack 49.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,309,798, issued to Devlin et al., discloses the deposition of snow inside of a snow reduction chamber, onto an auger which moves the snow through a perforated tube as a slurry. While moving through the tube, water in a tank at the bottom of the snow reduction chamber is heated in a boiler and is introduced into the snow moving through the perforated cylinder, to be ultimately discharged at the open end thereof into the tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,459, issued to Campion, discloses the use of a high volume of air flow to first draw air from the ambient temperature atmosphere so as to entrain water vapor and moisture from melted and melting snow and secondly to carry the air and entrained water vapor back into the outside atmosphere. FIG. 1 of the Campion disclosure shows the discharge of snow from a snow blower into a snow reduction chamber equipped with a plurality of spaced apart cal rod units throughout the chamber. It also discloses in FIG. 5 the discharge of snow through the top of the snow reduction chamber into open ended and perforated tubes which are discharging the products of combustion into the chamber, with the discharge of water vapor coming out of the top of the snow reduction chamber. Campion appears to depend on the low humidity of cold ambient outside air to pick up the moisture laden air inside of the snow reduction chamber, and to depend on air flow (with its resultant dissipation of heat energy) to accomplish this transfer of air and moisture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,128, issued to Krickovich, discloses a large pot into which snow is loaded, the pot being stirred by spokes of agitators 56 and 64, and the pot being heated using a series of gas burners 68. The snow first discharged into this pot, if the pot is preheated, will tend to flash over into vapor or immediately melt. When sufficient snow is built up so that the paddles of the agitator 56 are moving the snow, the snow and liquid water are present in the form of a slurry.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,979,794, issued to Brown, discloses the use of a mobile snow melting device in which snow is deposited into a container which is heated by a series of steam jackets. A series of small holes permits the steam within the jackets to enter the interior of the container directly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,957, issued to Muhammad, discloses a series of parallel heating tubes within a container against which snow is placed and subsequently melts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,656, issued to Baasch, discloses a trailer in which water of approximately 50.degree. F. is placed into a turbulent chamber into which snow is deposited for melting. Heat is provided by the slightly warmed water and the agitation of the slurry tank.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,353,176, issued to Hess, discloses a combustion burner which produces combustion gases which are forced up flue pipes encircling the outside of a rounded V-shaped container and down into the snow which is collected in this container. An auger in the bottom of the container agitates the slurry of solid water, snow, ice and liquid water and tends to carry it toward the rear lower portion of the rounded V-shaped container. There the water flows up around the V-shaped container until it is drained away through an exit port.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,561, issued to Swanson, discloses a snow blower which deposits snow onto a series of horizontally aligned parallel heated tubes, contact with the tubes thereby causing the snow to melt.
All of the devices herein discussed have been optimized to conserve energy at the expense of inefficiently or slowly melting snow. A need still exists for a device which will rapidly melt large amounts of snow either in a vehicle or permanently mounted snow melting device which can be placed on a street, roof, alley or other area of large snow accumulation and melt the snow thus collected in a reasonably short period of time.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention addresses the problem of simplifying and speeding the melting of large accumulations of snow.
Before the present invention, a snow removal apparatus could include a motorized vehicle, a powered snow blower mounted on the front of the vehicle and having an outlet chute, a snow reduction chamber mounted on the vehicle, and a snow delivery conduit leading from the outlet chute of the snow blower to an upper portion of the snow reduction chamber.
The present invention includes a reduction chamber mounted, for example, in the rear portion of a standard flat bed vehicle, the snow being deposited by any convenient means into the reduction chamber from above.
Heated forced air is passed through a series of conduits or pipes which have been perforated so as to direct heated air downwardly onto a volume of water residing in the bottom of the reduction chamber. The snow deposited in the upper region of the reduction chamber acts as a lid or cover to the heated water chamber, thereby causing the temperature to rise and melt the snow residing in regions above the heated, liquid water.
A drain orifice is provided within the chamber to allow a portion of the water within the chamber to overflow, thereby leaving an air space between the surface of the water and the bottom surface of the snow which is being deposited into the reduction chamber.